December 29

Births

1942: Rick Danko (Bass & Vocals for The Band)

1946: Marianne Faithfull (Singer / Songwriter)

1947: Cozy Powell (Drums for Emerson Lake and Palmer & Whitesnake)

1950: Robert Parissi (Guitar & Vocals for Wild Cherry)

1955: Neil Giraldo (Guitar for & Married to Pat Benatar)

1961: Jim Reid (Lead Vocals for The Jesus & Mary Chain)

1965: Bryan Holland (Lead Vocals & Rhythm Guitar for The Offspring)

1970: Glen Phillips (Lead Singer for Toad The Wet Sprocket)

Events

1956: While driving North on Avenue K in Lubbock, TX, Buddy Holly notices a woman screaming "Stop that thief!" and chases down a fleeing shoplifter, making the local paper for his good deed.

1957: Steve Lawrence marries his first and only wife, fellow performer Eydie Gorme, at the El Rancho Hotel in Las Vegas.

1963: At 12:50 pm, New York's WMCA becomes the first radio station in the US to play the Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand," officially kicking off the American Beatlemania craze. Across town, WABC plays the song an hour later.

1964: The Liverpool Youth Employment Service announced that some school leavers were finding it difficult to get jobs because their 'Beatle' style haircuts and clothing were unacceptable to employers.

1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience make their television debut on BBC's Top Of The Pops, performing their first single, "Hey Joe."

1967: Dave Mason, singer and guitarist for Traffic, leaves the group for a solo career, though he'll return twice before finally quitting for good.

1969: A major milestone for Motown Records today as five of the Top 7 singles on Billboard's chart are products of the label and its affiliates.

1975: Jefferson Airplane's Paul Kantner and Grace Slick are divorced.

2006: The wife of rock singer Marilyn Manson, Burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese filed for divorce after just a year of marriage. The couple married in December 2005 in a ceremony held at a castle in Ireland.